A modern driving range is not just about accepting payment. It's very much about managing player behaviour - and you do that through the way your products are put together.
The right product structure can automatically get players to buy bigger packages, use more balls and return more often. This means increased activity on the range and higher overall revenue – without you needing to change anything in your daily operations.
Here at Compu Golf, we see time and time again that this is precisely one of the most overlooked, yet simultaneously most effective ways to optimise a driving range.
1. Products in the vending machine - simple, fast and efficient
The first step is to simplify things on the machine itself. The player often has an immediate need – perhaps before a round – and the decision needs to be made in a matter of seconds. Therefore, the selection should be manageable, typically with two or three options. However, the crucial factor isn't the number of products, but how they are priced.
A good example could be:
- 15 balls → 3 EUR (0.2 EUR / ball)
- 30 balls → 5 EUR (16p / ball)
- 45 balls → 6.50 EUR (0.14 EUR /ball)
Here it is clear: The bigger the purchase, the better the value.
That's exactly what shifts behaviour.
If all products effectively cost the same per ball, many will choose the smallest option. There is simply no reason to buy more. But if the value clearly increases with size, the behaviour changes. When the player can see that the price per ball drops from over £1 on the small basket to under £1 on the larger ones, it suddenly becomes attractive to choose a larger option. This is where you start moving revenue.
2. In-app products - where the revenue is really created
While the vending machine handles the spontaneous purchases, it's in the app - or in your membership-based products - that you really grow. Here you have the opportunity to work with vouchers, larger package solutions and products with free use for a given period. This gives you a completely different flexibility in your pricing.
In the app, you can allow the price per ball to drop further. While small purchases on the vending machine might be over £1 per ball, vouchers and larger packages will typically go down to around £0.70 - and in some cases as low as £0.50-0.60 per ball. This may sound like lower earnings, but in practice, the opposite is true.
When the player realises that it is more profitable to buy a larger package, both consumption and frequency increase. The player buys more balls at a time, uses the rank more often and stays longer when they are there. This means that the total revenue increases even if the price per ball decreases.
This is precisely why a clear and well thought-out pricing structure is so important. The player should intuitively realise that the bigger the purchase, the better the value. If the difference between products is too small, the effect is lost. But if the gap is clear, the system starts to work for you.
In the above case, the app products below could fit:
- 300 balls + 60 extra 40 EUR (0.11 EUR / ball)
- 600 balls + 180 extra 80 EUR (0.10 EUR / ball)
- 1200 balls + 480 extra 160 EUR (0.09 EUR / ball)
In practice, it's about creating a natural movement from small, quick purchases to larger and more valuable products. The vending machine acts as the entry point where the player can get started quickly and easily. The app and larger products are the next step, where the value increases and the relationship with the player becomes stronger.
Note how we work with ‘extra’ balls, making it clear that the price is basically fixed - but that you get more balls relative to the size of the product and how much money you pay upfront.
When the setup is right, most things happen automatically. The player chooses the bigger solutions because it makes sense to them. At the same time, you increase both activity on the rank and your earnings. We call them bonus balls.
This balance between simplicity, value and structure is what characterises an effective driving range today. Small adjustments to your products can make a significant difference in practice - both in the short and long term.
